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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066364">Their Eyes Light Up a Room</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thismachinekillsstraightmen/pseuds/thismachinekillsstraightmen'>thismachinekillsstraightmen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP- fandom, Minecraft - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brief description of injury, Dream and Tommy are in this briefly, Eret Needs A Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Hybrid Alexis | Quackity, Hybrid Cara | CaptainPuffy, Hybrid Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid discrimination, Injury, Niki is only mentioned, Swearing, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:54:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thismachinekillsstraightmen/pseuds/thismachinekillsstraightmen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Quackity’s wings amazed them.</p>
<p>Quackity’s confidence amazed them.</p>
<p>Or: Eret doesn’t like to take off their sunglasses.</p>
<p>Or 2.0: Eret and Quackity friendship pog</p>
<p>Rated Teen And Up for swearing, brief mention of injury.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity &amp; Eret, Cara | CaptainPuffy &amp; Eret, Clay | Dream &amp; Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Eret &amp; Niki | Nihachu, Eret &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>350</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Completed stories I've read</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Their Eyes Light Up a Room</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>au where quackity joined the smp before eret and puffy and eret joined the server together<br/>also i have a random headcannon that everyone says ‘ender’ instead of ‘god’ don’t ask why</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Their eyes light up a room. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Most people’s eyes didn’t actually light up a room, of course.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was meant to be a phrase that complimented someone’s eyes, whether they were a pretty color or reflected the energy a person brought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No, the phrase was merely metaphorical in most cases.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But not in Eret’s.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Their eyes literally shone, lighting up as many rooms as they struck fear into passerby.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> ( “What the fuck is it, a Wither hybrid?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “No fucking clue. I’m getting my eggs from the next town over, Ender knows what it could’ve done to it.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I went over last week to get mine, some people say it’s related to Herobrine.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Herobrine’s a myth. That’s just a freak.” ) </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So Eret kept their eyes hidden.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was easier for them to wear sunglasses than see everyone wear constant faces of shock.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Of course, everyone still knew about their eyes. Information about hybrids spread quickly in smaller servers, where gossip easily filled the quiet caused by the small population, and where discrimination and panic could fill it just as quickly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There’s been talks of raids on the server,” Puffy worriedly said, her hands tightly clenching the cup of coffee she had made for herself. “I went down to the tailor to trade some of my wool, and a lot of the store owners were there, talking about taking hybrids down.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’ll be alright, Puffy.” Eret said, their voice smooth as they silenced their rough hints of fear by drinking their own coffee.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, for now. People still know about your eyes, and someone’s going to see me with my hood down eventually.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, what else can we do besides wait?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of a sudden, Puffy’s eyes lit up. “Maybe we can wait for something besides a raid.” Jumping up, she placed her coffee down and ran into her room, where Eret could hear the haphazard opening of drawers. They were confused by Puffy’s sudden shift in demeanor. “What do you mean?” Eret called out, craning their head to make eye contact with a returning Puffy, hands holding an envelope and eyes holding clear determination. “What’s in the envelope?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Letters from Niki.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Niki was a good friend of Puffy’s, the two sticking together like the frosting Niki would carefully pipe onto her bakes. She and Eret hadn’t known each other well, but they still remembered the excitement they felt when she had entered a multi-server baking competition, and the shock they felt when she returned with the news that she had received an invitation onto another server-from someone who must’ve been a very valued customer- in the promise she would open a bakery there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I got them earlier today. I was going to show them to you after I left the shop, but I freaked out when I heard everyone. Here’s yours.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t understand,” Eret said as Puffy placed a letter into their hands. “Niki and I never really talked, what could she have mailed me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“A way out of here.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The words hit Eret like a brick, the promise of freedom coupled with the fear of the unknown. “I- I still don’t understand,” they stammered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You remember the big-shot who invited her onto his server, right? Turns out his server is fucking huge.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret knew what the significance of the bigger server was. Bigger servers meant bigger populations, bigger groups of people that had to be appeased, a bigger chance of equality.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And he’s been looking to expand.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A bigger chance of salvation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, what, he offered us invitations?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not invitations so much as applications. Niki said he’s like, <em> really </em> pro-hybrid. She said he mainly does the application process to keep out shitty humans. This could be really good for us, Eret.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is... this is amazing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you going to apply?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Absolutely. And you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ender, obviously.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So Eret tried their ever-elusive luck, and applied to the Dream SMP.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The invitation came the same day as the raid.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret had been checking their mailbox everyday, in the hopes that they would receive some response from the server.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And surely enough, they had gotten one, and their excitement was so strong that they couldn’t move, their feet stuck next to the mailbox as they opened the envelope and read the letter inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Dear Eret, </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Congratulations! Your application to the Dream SMP was reviewed and approved by the Dream Team. One of our escorts will arrive shortly after this letter is sent, so make sure you pack everything you need. This letter is also needed for verification by our escort and entrance into the server, so make sure to keep it safe. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We wish you a fulfilling time in your new home in advance. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Dream </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> GeorgeNotFound </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> SapNap </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Dream Team- Dream SMP Moderators </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Incredulous, Eret carefully placed the letter back in the envelope, examining the shiny paper.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The golden color of the envelope beautifully reflected the weapons held by the slowly approaching villagers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret looked up to them, realizing that the plans for the raid had come into action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can run, but you can’t hide, hybrid!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret couldn’t hide, but they could still run.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And so they did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shoving the envelope in their pocket, Eret ran back to their house. Locking the door behind him, Eret internally cursed at the villagers for continuing their slow pace, hating that they were right in their notion that Eret had nowhere to hide.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rushing to their room, they quickly grabbed a satchel and anything they could fit into it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Photos with Puffy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Niki’s letter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Extra clothes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>An old cape.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Running to the kitchen to get food, Eret froze when he opened his fridge and saw the eggs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The chickens. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Closing the fridge, Eret ran outside, making the impulse decision to free the chickens from their coop before continuing to run.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But they were quickly brought to a halt by the sight of someone in their backyard.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret couldn’t tell what they noticed first- The fact that there was a stranger in their coop, or the sight of their golden wings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The winged hybrid looked up and smiled, clearly unaware of Eret’s panic. “Hey man! You Eret?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Breathing heavily as the exertion of running caught up to them, Eret replied, “Yes. And you are?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The winged hybrid laughed and spread out his arms, his wings spreading out with them. “I’m your Dream SMP escort! Name’s Quackity.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah, that’s great,” Eret said, walking towards the man. They were going to ask about their wings, but stopped when they remembered that Puffy was at her house. “Puffy- Oh my Ender, Puffy. Did she get an invite? Is she going to be okay?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, Niki’s going to swing by later to escort her! She offered to come get you too, but I heard you mentioned owning birds in your application and got more excited than I should’ve.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is it- is it safe to leave her here?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t it be safe?” Quackity said, his naturally happy demeanor offset by a swing of confusion from Eret’s words.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, um, I’m kind of being raided right now?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity’s eyes shot wide open, and Eret’s fear that they would be questioned was shaken off by Quackity running forward and wrapping his arms around them before jumping up and <em> flying. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, no, we gotta get out of here. I’m an escort, not a bodyguard. Can’t really do much about the raid except get you out of it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Um, we’re <em> flying?” </em> Eret hysterically cried out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What, it’s not like you can say I’m a bad flier, it’s clearly your first time. To the Dream SMP we go!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know you can take off your sunglasses, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret kept looking forward as Dream led them around the server, afraid that the fear they felt would be reflected in their eyes and shine through their sunglasses.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think I’ll keep them on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, you know everyone here is chill with hybrids, right?” Dream said, stopping and placing what was meant to be a reassuring hand on Eret’s shoulder. “If you want to take them off, no one’s going to bother you. And if they do, I’ll deal with them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The hand on Eret’s shoulder felt like it was piercing into them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They still didn’t take their sunglasses off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Old habits die hard when you come from a small server,” Eret replied, pretending to glance out into the landscape as one hand came up to push Dream’s hand off their shoulder and another fixed his sunglasses for the umpteenth time that day, making sure they were in place before risking eye contact.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I could imagine,” Dream said, finally taking the hint that Eret didn’t want to talk about themselves anymore. “Um, Niki and I are the only humans that know you’re a hybrid, by the way. George and SapNap help out sometimes, but I mostly review applications alone. So if you were anxious about people knowing...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Eret calmly responded, his tone in no way an indicator for his panic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The less humans who knew, the better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The less <em> people </em> who knew, hybrid or human, the better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, there’s a shit ton of space around here,” Dream said, transitioning from their conversation like it had never happened. “You can build basically anything you want.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can I build a castle?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That was certainly not a response I was expecting, but yeah, I suppose you can.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Eret had a dream that night. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They had taken off their sunglasses and looked up to Dream’s eyes, but his face was actually one of the villagers, the hand on their shoulder actually a knife being stabbed through it. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They fell to the floor as Dream’s laugh distorted, the man glitching into more villagers, all laughing as they watched Eret die. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Look at the freak!” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next time Eret saw Quackity, the winged hybrid had invited them for a walk. Eret gladly welcomed the distraction- the server was big, but it was also (quite frankly) ugly. The sight of so many cobblestone buildings appalled them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, how have you been settling into the Dream SMP?” Quackity asked. “I hear you’ve got a kingdom now.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I do,” Eret said in response. “It’s been... nice, for the most part. A lot less judgmental here than it is on smaller servers.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“God, I get that,” Quackity replied. “Small servers are a pain in the ass, any hybrid can tell you that much.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret felt their heart drop. <em> Is he accusing me of being a hybrid? How did he find out? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Niki told me a bit about your guys’ old server, though, said it was basically all humans. My old server was more half-humans, half-hybrids, so it was kind of divided. I imagine you two lived closer to hybrids since there weren’t many to separate from. Is that how you met Puffy?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret could’ve cried with relief. “Uh, yeah, she sold some of her wool at our farmer’s market, we met that way.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She did sell her wool at the farmer’s market, and they did meet there. But the two didn’t meet from selling their products, like Eret was leading Quackity to believe.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was the day they had overheard the villagers say they were going to begin traveling out of town to buy eggs from a human farmer. Eret had packed up their booth and began to walk home in frustration, knowing they were basically guaranteed no more sales. The leaving-town-for-“normal”-eggs ideology had been spreading in the village for awhile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Caught up in their annoyance, Eret let out a sharp grunt when they accidentally ran into the next booth over, panicking internally when the collision knocked some of the seller’s products to the floor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh Ender, I’m sorry,” Eret began, quickly kneeling down to pick up the items.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A warm hand lightly circling around his wrist stopped him, and he looked up to the seller, who had kneeled down behind her booth, rendering her unseen to passerby.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, it’s okay,” she started, pulling down her hood. “Hybrids gotta stick together, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret could’ve gasped when he saw the seller’s face, sheep ears and wool in place of hair. They were shocked into silence, their mouth hanging open as they processed the fact that <em> I’m not the only hybrid here. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The seller laughed at his face. “No need to be a human!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The joke caught Eret off-guard, drawing an incredulous laugh out of them. “I’m staring in shock, not hate!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fair enough!” The seller laughed, or rather belted, in reply. “I’m Puffy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m Eret.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret stopped going to the farmer’s market after that day, but they began stopping by at Puffy’s each week to help her get ready before she set off for it. She had learnt much sooner than Eret to hide her hybrid features, giving her the appearance of being a human to the server, although she would admit to them later she wanted nothing more than the freedom to take her hood off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> ( “If we ever get out of this place, I’m never wearing a hoodie again. If I see anything that has a hood, I’m not buying it. If anyone buys me a jacket, the first thing I’m doing is ripping the hood off.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “What if it rains?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I’ve got my hair to keep me warm, don’t I?”) </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sure enough, the Dream SMP had granted the two the freedom to go public safely with their hybrid status, and Puffy had stopped hiding her hybrid features. Eret couldn’t help but begin to feel a little embarrassed that they hadn’t.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, sick! Maybe we can open up a farmer’s market here,” Quackity said, his response drawing Eret out of their flashback. “The only thing that’s been gathered enough to sell is cobblestone, unfortunately.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret chuckled. “Tommy would become a very rich man if he ever decided to sell all the cobblestone he gathered.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity laughed at that. “He’d probably miss the market by building another cobblestone building.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Soon enough, the two were laughing together. “Ender, that would be ironic, wouldn’t it be?” Eret said, the laughter bringing tears to their eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Their eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret straightened up again, turning around for a second to take off their sunglasses and wipe at their eyes before putting them back on to face Quackity, who was still smiling at him, albeit it felt more warm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Uh, sorry about killing the mood, it’s just that...” Eret had no idea where they were going with this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, it’s alright!” Quackity responded, his hand landing on Eret’s shoulder as his smile grew. “We’ve all got shit we’re self-conscious about, I understand.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret wasn’t sure if Quackity suspected they were a hybrid or not, but the self-conscious excuse was the only one they had. “Yeah, I just- never really liked my eyes that much.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is that why you always wear sunglasses?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Uh, yeah.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s awesome! It’s like your trademark, dude.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m... not sure how happy the trademark makes me,” Eret admitted. <em> What am I doing? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity straightened his back, looking confused as he asked, “What do you mean?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know, I just... I feel like a freak sometimes, always wearing sunglasses. Barely anyone else wears them, and no one wears them as often as I do.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re not a freak, Eret,” Quackity consoled, a wing brushing up against their arm in understanding. “We all have things we don’t want to show. You shouldn’t feel upset over it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know, I just feel like there’s nothing I can do.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A glimmer passed through Quackity’s eyes. “So you’re saying <em> I </em> could do something?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What- No, I mean, I just don’t get what I can do-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I got an idea, man. Give me like, five minutes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret dumbly stood in place while Quackity took off, presumably flying back to his house. When the winged hybrid returned, he addressed them warmly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Time to continue our walk in style, huh?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Quackity?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s up, Eret?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s with the sunglasses?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity had returned wearing a pair of sunglasses, his grin increasing tenfold as he reached up to fix them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought we could match! That way you don’t have to feel self-conscious about always wearing them, or at least being the only person to wear them!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I, um, wow,” Eret replied, an incredulous laugh escaping them. “That was not what I was expecting.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The power of friendship comes into play in strange ways, Eret,” Quackity melodramatically said, walking back to Eret and placing an arm over their shoulders. “Now, our walking path awaits, my liege!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You don’t have to call me your liege.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My ruler, then.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s even more extreme!”</p>
<p><br/>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Their eyes light up a room. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret finally understood the phrase.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No one’s eyes shone brighter than Quackity’s, whose happiness for life was infectious, immediately caught by anyone who noticed he had arrived.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His eyes shone as brightly as his wings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret had no idea how Quackity did it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>How he treated his wings like a natural extension of his body, how he never hid them, never seemed to be ashamed of them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret couldn’t help but feel like they had it easy. Or at the very least, easier than Quackity probably had. You could easily hide your eyes, but you couldn’t hide bigger features, like Quackity’s wings, nearly as easily.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yet Quackity was unafraid, his wings out for everyone to see.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity’s wings amazed them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity’s <em> confidence </em> amazed them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret ruled a fucking kingdom now, and they still couldn’t handle the thought of removing their sunglasses.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thankfully, Quackity never asked them about the raid, and the only time they talked about Eret’s sunglasses was on their one walk. It seemed the most he caught from Eret’s application was that they had once owned chickens. Even if Quackity was curious, Eret doubted he would ever show it. He preferred to keep things playful, and questioning someone about why they were raided or demanding clearer answers as to why they didn’t show their eyes certainly crossed that line.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret hid their curiosity as much as they suspected Quackity hid his, for the record.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret had been leaving “You Matter” blocks around the server, and sometimes, when they would drop by randomly to leave one of the blocks at Quackity’s house, Eret would wish they had named the pink wool something else.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> How are you so confident with your wings? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Doesn’t it scare you? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Do you not feel my fear? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The fear that someone is always watching you, waiting for you to get comfortable before they strike you for loving the things you’ve been taught to hate? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Do you ignore the fear? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Did you learn to move on from it? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> How on Earth could anyone move on from that? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were asked about their sunglasses eventually, though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret had been building with Tommy, who had first came up to them in the hopes they would teach him how to name blocks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> ( “You want to make your own ‘You Matter’ block, Tommy?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I was kind of hoping I could call it a ‘You Suck’ block, but that works too.” ) </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret had agreed to teach him in the promise that Tommy would help him complete their castle, secretly hoping to make the boy’s cobblestone buildings a thing of the past.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret sized Tommy up while he watched him build up their walls. They felt he was most similar to Quackity, in the sense that he was naturally chaotic and wouldn’t hesitate to ask playful questions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He wasn’t like Quackity in the sense that he also wouldn’t hesitate with serious questions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey Eret?” Tommy called out, having jumped down after completing his section of the wall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret shot their head up from the anvil, where their work for another “You Matter” block had just been interrupted. “Yeah, Tommy?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why do you always wear sunglasses?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret felt themselves become rigid, hiding their shaking hands by clenching the soft wool. “Why do you ask?” They replied with a smooth tone, glancing back down to the anvil.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Just wondering, I reckon. It’s not that bright outside.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I don’t want to scare you. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I couldn’t really tell you, I think.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I don’t want you to hate me. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The way my server hated me for it. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The way my village hated me for it. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The way I hate me for it. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Just... just a weird preference. At least I’m avoiding eye strain.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You could avoid all your problems if you loved the Queen.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s to say I don’t?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You wearing sunglasses.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And just like that, the conversation had returned back to its playful manner, although Eret’s grip on the pink wool never quite loosened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret slipped the wool into their inventory when Tommy left, not wanting the boy to inquire about it again. They had unconsciously named it while talking to Tommy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sitting alone in their room, Eret stared at the block, its name weighing down on them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You Freak. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Eret, where are you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret could hear Quackity’s voice echo throughout the chamber he had called out to them in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s been like, two days since anyone’s seen you man, I’m worried. Are you okay?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They had dreamed last night. And the night before that. And the night before that. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They took too long reading the letter, and the villagers caught up to them. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m fine, Quackity,” Eret tiredly called out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret wasn’t sure how to feel that Quackity had actually showed concern for someone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And realized it must’ve been bad if he was willing to let his persona slip to check up on them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m... I’m fine.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you want to be alone?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They were alone when they read the letter in their dream. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The villagers had gotten them alone, knocking them down and preparing to cut their eyes out. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Not going to be so much of a freak anymore, are you?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No.” Eret weakly called out, trying to not let their voice break.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, uh, hey, you wanna go to the Nether with me, get some supplies?” Quackity replied, sounding desperate. “Gives you something to do.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rubing their face with their hands before getting up from bed, Eret grabbed their sunglasses and slipped them on, opening the door to find Quackity standing at the main entrance a floor below, matching sunglasses on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, sure.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A Piglin had shot them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> It was a villager. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They hadn’t been wearing any Gold Armor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They hadn’t been careful enough. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were falling onto their side, onto the Nether wart blocks, onto the dirt pavement of the village.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret felt their sunglasses slip off of their head, exposing their eyes to the world as they laid defenseless.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I’m going to die. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, hey, you’re not going to die, alright? You’re not going to die.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret must’ve said it out loud.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were being pulled up, laid to lean against a Warped Forest Tree, the white noise of pain drowning out anything Quackity was saying.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There were hands around the wound, on their face, to check Eret for more injuries or to console them, they didn’t know.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The world faded to black with the white noise, and Eret heard one thing before they slipped into unconsciousness.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Eret, <em> please, </em> please stay awake, come on-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Eret had a dream that night. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They had gotten shot by the villagers, but Quackity had flown down, his escort, his friend, picking them up and saving them. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> He had taken them back home, and the laughs and sneers of the villagers that haunted his dreams were replaced by Quackity’s whispered jokes and consolations. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret wondered how much of the dream was actually reality, how much of Quackity’s words were actually spoken by him as bouts of consciousness would temporarily break into their pain-induced slumber.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“In case Dream ends up killing me while you’re asleep, please let everyone know I do not regret griefing the Community House.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dream didn’t kill me, but SapNap killed my dog! Now I know why everyone calls him the Pet Killer.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Niki says you’re healing well from the wound. I wouldn’t fucking know, though.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I went back to the Nether and found your sunglasses, but it looks like they got trampled on. Bet you 100 pesos it was a Magma Cube. Wait, is money even a thing here?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“According to Dream, we quote unquote ‘currently have no monetary system,’ so I just stole a pair of sunglasses from him for you.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Whether they were awake or asleep, Eret noticed that Quackity never left their side. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sure enough, when they finally came to full consciousness, Quackity was with Eret, sitting on a chair by the bed and dozing off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Quackity?” Eret weakly let out, their voice weak from disuse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The winged hybrid shot up and jumped from his chair, kneeling down by the bed to better face Eret. “Hey, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Knowing that any efforts to talk would be futile, Eret reached their arm out, but Quackity interpreted it as them reaching for the cabinet. “Oh, hey, you want the sunglasses? Don’t push yourself, I can get them-“ Quackity began to turn around to grab the sunglasses, but was stopped by Eret’s hand grabbing his.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can you- can you stay?” Eret desperately let out, feeling too scared and vulnerable to let Quackity out of his grasp.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity nodded, caught off guard by Eret’s panic. “Yeah, yeah, I can stay,” he responded, sitting on the side of bed. He pulled his hand from Eret’s to help them sit up, the latter leaning his head on Quackity’s shoulder as he placed his arm over Eret’s shoulders. “You alright? You’re not- you’re not uncomfortable with me getting to see you without your sunglasses on?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret let out a shaky breath. “I... I trust you. You won’t- you won’t hurt me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Quackity replied, placing his other hand on top of Eret’s shoulders to hug him, a mix of feathers and warmth and <em> trust. </em> “I won’t hurt you, I promise.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I... I know.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret kept his head buried in Quackity’s shoulder, still not sure if they had the confidence to look up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, hey, your eyes really light up a room.” Quackity said, trying to cheer Eret up with laughter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t think the phrase was ever meant to be interpreted literally.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, that’s the fun of it! You can go on a date and say ‘People always tell me my eyes light up a room,’ and they’ll be like ‘Woah, they must have a good personality,’ but then you just take your sunglasses off, and boom! Your eyes literally light up the room.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret laughed, a sob breaking through as they finally let themselves relax. “I guess I wouldn’t technically be lying.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You wouldn’t be lying? You’re probably the one person who wouldn’t be lying if they said the phrase!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>•••</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quackity took Eret for another walk that night, carefully standing near them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You don’t feel weak, right? Like you could fall or anything?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m fine, Quackity, really,” Eret replied, their heart secretly warmed by Quackity’s concern. “How long was I out for, anyway?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Five days. Let me tell you, nothing feels shittier than thinking I can get you out of the house after you’ve been inside for two days, only to get you into a situation that makes you stay inside more.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s not your fault the Piglin shot me, Quackity.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I keep on trying to tell myself that, but I don’t know. Technically, you wouldn’t have gotten shot if I hadn’t offered.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“By that logic, you wouldn’t have offered if I hadn’t stayed inside, meaning you could blame me for getting shot.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can’t blame the person who got shot for getting shot!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, you can only blame the shooter, so stop blaming yourself.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That... is good reasoning, my liege.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You have got to stop calling me that,” Eret laughed out. “I’m not even sure if I have any citizens to rule over.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re my ruler, at any rate.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The conversation drew back, and Eret enjoyed the comfortable silence the two of them walked in. The lull was only broken when Quackity said that “It’s getting pretty dark, we should turn back before any mobs spawn.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret felt the impulse light up inside them. “Hey, I’ve got some light,” they said reaching their hand up to their face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You brought some torches?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nope,” Eret smoothly replied, taking off their sunglasses. “My eyes don’t really produce light, unfortunately, but I do have night vision.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eret smiled nervously at Quackity’s reaction, eyes widening before he forced himself to look forward and away, not wanting to stare. “Lead the way then, my friend.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Walking side-by-side, the silence was broken once more by Quackity asking, “So is Herobrine your father?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading all the way until the end!!! this is my first time writing eret, so i hope it was in character :) make sure to leave kudos and comment! leave constructive criticism or something you like. have a good rest of your day!!! :D<br/>p.s. this fic is dedicated to my friend jams for helping me understand eret’s character &lt;333</p></blockquote></div></div>
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